Urban poverty - it's not the first thing
most 25-year-olds think about when they
wake up. But that's where Ben Bradlow feels
privileged. He gets to learn from "some of the
most imaginative people in some of the most
unlikely places".

As one of the largest global networks
uniting the urban poor, Shack/Slum Dwellers
International (SDI) helps the poor speak,
organise and negotiate for themselves. As
SDI's research and documentation officer,
Bradlow negotiates with the powers that be,
compiles strategic reports and manages the
NGO's communications arm.

Most recently he supported
a team of informal settlementbased
writers to produce uTshani
Buyakhuluma, a regular national
newspaper with a current circulation
of 4 000 copies. If only government
and society could see what Bradlow
sees every day - the specialised
knowledge and experience within
these communities that could
help them to solve their own
developmental challenges. "Nothing
for us, without us" that's his creed.
- Cat Pritchard